The Cost of Delivering Water
NamWater is a non profit making organisation operating on a cost recovery principle. This implies that any capital spent on water schemes and related projects must be recovered fully to enable further investment in infrastructure by the company.
NamWater’s infrastructure consists of dams, water pipes, reservoirs, purification plants et cetera. These infrastructure are not only expensive to build, but also to maintain. Furthermore, the bulk of this infrastructure is aging, which means millions of dollars will have to be invested in building, maintenance and upgrading exercises. For example, to construct a dam as large as Von Bach , Namibia ’s fourth largest dam, will cost in the range of N$ 100 million. Moreover, laying a bulk water pipeline of 1 km can cost up to N$ 3 million. In addition, NamWater imports chemicals to treat and purify water, and the costs run in excess of millions of dollars.
Similarly, NamWater spends a lot of capital in electricity costs necessitated through the provision of quality water to otherwise inaccessible areas in the country. Our staff compliment, consisting of capable and well trained personnel also needs our full support as they make the provision of this precious resource possible.
It is therefore important to point out that the public pays for the cost of delivering water than for water itself. Water does not have a price.
Namibia prides itself with safe portable water from the tap!
NamWater purifies water for the Namibian people. Namibia has one of the cleanest and safest water to drink. One can drink water straight from a tap, unlike in many countries in the world.
